With tariffs sending markets reeling in the first days of the second quarter, investors with cash to spend might be looking for an opportunity. While it's true that some of the biggest firms in the world started April with major share price discounts, investors may want to find companies to target that have been more or less bulletproof in the extreme uncertainty characterizing the market.
Three biopharmaceuticals firms—Alumis Inc (NASDAQ:ALMS), DBV Technologies (EPA:DBV), and Corcept Therapeutics Incorporated (NASDAQ:CORT).—have staged significant rallies in 2025 that have either been unaffected by the market's recent seesawing or that remain up by a wide margin year-to-date as of Apr. 7. There is, of course, no telling whether these companies will have the momentum to keep these rallies going over the short or long term, but they nonetheless merit additional consideration.
1. Alumis Shares Surge 64% Ahead of Major Merger
Alumis is a clinical-stage biopharma firm developing treatments for immune-mediated disease. It has achieved success with tyrosine kinase 2 (TYK2) inhibitors such as its ESK-001, which is being commercialized in Japan by Kaken Pharmaceutical Co., Ltd. for dermatology indications. ESK-001 also has potential as a treatment for certain rheumatological and gastrointestinal diseases. Alumis' A-005, another TYK2 inhibitor, has recently shown promise in the treatment of certain neuroinflammatory diseases.
But one of the biggest drivers of Alumis' recent share price success—ALMS shares are up a whopping 64% in the five days of trading leading to Apr. 7, 2025, despite market challenges—is certainly the joint filing of a definitive proxy statement/prospectus for its proposed merger with late-stage clinical biopharma firm ACELYRIN Inc (NASDAQ:SLRN) on Apr. 4.
The combination of Alumis and Acelyrin not only consolidates two strong pipelines but also provides the merged company with a cash runway through 2027, by which time the two separate firms expect to have seen multiple clinical readouts. Should the merger be approved by shareholders in May, it is likely to be a boon for all involved.
2. DBV's Breakthrough Peanut Allergy Patch Advances With FDA Support and Major Funding
Shares of epicutaneous immunotherapy biopharma company DBV Technologies are up an incredible 129% year-to-date (YTD) as of Apr. 7, and they bucked the broader downturn trend by climbing some 17% in the five days leading to that date as well.
One of DBV's most promising drugs in development is the VIASKIN peanut patch, a product designed to desensitize children to peanut allergies. Given that the landscape of peanut allergy treatments is very small and that DBV's patch utilizes a distinct set of technologies and methods that could minimize the likelihood of an allergic reaction during treatment, it is likely to have a tremendous impact on the millions of people across the U.S. suffering from peanut allergies.
In late March, the FDA confirmed that safety exposure data generated from recent studies would be sufficient for DBV to support a Biologics License Application (BLA) for the peanut patch for children between the ages of four and seven. DBV followed that announcement with news that it had secured nearly $307 million in financing to advance the product's commercial launch if approved. As DBV gets closer to a successful launch, investors have poured money into the stock.
3. Corcept's Relacorilant Shows Promise in Ovarian Cancer, Possibly Surpassing Competitor's Potential
One of Corcept Therapeutics' key successes is relacorilant, which has been tested in various trials related to the treatment of multiple types of cancers. In late March, a late-stage trial found that relacorilant, in combination with chemotherapy, helped to delay the progression of one type of ovarian cancer in patients resistant to leading types of pre-existing chemotherapy treatments.
One of the closest competitors to relacorilant is AbbVie (NYSE:ABBV)'s NYSE: ABBV Elahere, which generated sales of $479 million last year. Analysts have suggested that relacorilant could receive a broader label than AbbVie's product thanks to its ability to block the stress hormone cortisol, known to boost chemotherapy resistance in some kinds of tumors. Shares of CORT spiked in late March on the news, though they've fallen in early April. The price remains up nearly 50% YTD.